Category Archives: youth

A Review of Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa – Experiences of Schooling, and Knowledge and Access to Sexual & Reproductive Health Services.

ford foundation

 

In the past few decades South Africa has seen a decline in teenage fertility; and yet rates still remain high with around 30% of 15-19 year olds reporting having ever been pregnant, with the majority of these pregnancies being among 18 and 19 year olds. Distinguishing between whether these pregnancies are among older or younger teenagers is important as the impact for a 19 or 15 year old will be very different. Furthermore, only around one third of teenage girls return to school following childbirth. Importantly, while a large number of pregnant teenagers and 
teenage mothers are not in school, a significant proportion of girls had dropped out from school before falling pregnant. 
 
Unplanned teenage pregnancy is driven by a number of issues including: unequal gender relations; gendered expectations of boys and girls; taboos around teenage sexuality making discussions around the topic difficult and fuelling stigma towards pregnant teenagers; poor access to contraceptives; judgemental attitudes of health care workers (HCWs), teachers and community members; low rates of consistent and correct contraceptive usage, and very little dual protection to protect against both unplanned pregnancies and STIs and HIV. 
 
This report will highlight teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood as a critical issue needing attention in South Africa. Not because teenage sexuality should be taboo, nor because teenage girls cannot and should not be mothers, but rather because a significant majority of these pregnancies are unplanned. The consequences of unplanned pregnancies can be devastating for teenage girls, and this report will show that for the majority of teenage girls unplanned pregnancy often leads to a number of negative consequences, in particular non-completion of secondary school, indeed of the one third of teenage mothers who return to school many battle to balance motherhood and schooling. And yet for teenage girls who receive support, (childcare, emotional and financial), teenage pregnancy and motherhood can sometimes be balanced with continued schooling, showing that with supportive interventions unplanned teenage pregnancy does not necessarily disrupt a girl’s future. 
 
Reducing unplanned teenage pregnancies and assisting teenage mothers to return and stay in school needs a multi-pronged response. Unplanned teenage pregnancy is not merely a reproductive health matter. Simply making more contraceptives available at clinics or schools will not necessarily reduce unplanned pregnancies. Given the multiple drivers of unplanned pregnancies the response needs to address all drivers: from the social, the structural through to 
individual behaviours, all of which can empower girls to make choices about their sexuality.

 

Click here to read the full document: Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa Final 10 May 2013

 

African bishops speak out against raft of anti-gay laws.

  •  
  • Editorial says Church has been silent, even complicit, in discourse on new legislation.
  • The Southern Cross
  • South Africa
  • February 18, 2014

  • Recently the Ugandan and Nigerian parliaments both passed severe anti-gay legislation. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has vetoed it; Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan signed it into law. Other countries, such as Cameroon and Tanzania, are proposing to pass similar legislation.

    These laws are not intended to render same-sex acts illegal — they already are, and punishable, in most African countries — but to persecute people on the basis of their sexual orientation.

    Such laws are not only unjust, but they also have the potential to tear at the fabric of society if they are misused to facilitate false denunciations for gain, advancement or vengeance, much as what Christians are exposed to in Pakistan under that country’s intolerable blasphemy law.

    There is a deep-seated sense of homophobia running throughout Africa, and beyond (Russia, for example, recently also passed anti-gay laws). African leaders routinely engage in populist homophobic rhetoric, often putting forward the fiction that homosexuality is “un-African”.

    In some cases, such as Nigeria’s, homophobic sentiments and laws are deployed for political profit by embattled leaders.

    Even in South Africa, where homosexuality and same-sex marriages are legal, homophobic bigotry finds expression in violent attacks on homosexuals and in “corrective” rape, both of men and women. Often these crimes are unreported or ignored by the police.

    The effects of homophobia are also seen in the inordinately high rate of suicides among homosexuals, especially teenagers.

    Homophobia is largely premised on a false notion that homosexuality is chosen and curable. This month, Spanish Cardinal-elect Fernando Sebastián Aguilar, retired bishop of Pamplona, made the astonishing claim that homosexuality is a “defect” comparable to his condition of high blood pressure.

    In Africa, homophobic perceptions are encouraged by fundamentalist Christian groups, generally imported from the United States, which are said to agitate for anti-gay legislation, and by the proponents of the Islamic sharia law.

    Their position is in conflict with Catholic teachings. The Church cannot sponsor the criminalisation of matters of private morality, and much less the advocacy of human rights. Prejudice and the persecution of homosexuals are in defiance of Catholic doctrine.

    Even as it emphatically rejects homosexual carnal acts, the Catechism of the Catholic Church declares that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their [homosexuals’] regard should be avoided”. The Catechism further demands that homosexuals “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” (2358).

    Jailing homosexuals for being gay and insisting on their human rights, or even for having sex, self-evidently is a sign of “unjust discrimination” that lacks in respect and compassion.

    While the Church’s teachings prevent her from standing with homosexuals on many issues, especially same-sex marriage, she has an obligation, mandated by Christ, to be in solidarity with all those who are unjustly marginalised and persecuted.

    Alas, the Church has been silent, in some cases even quietly complicit, in the discourse on new homophobic laws. This absence of intervention for justice may well be interpreted, wrongly or not, as approval of injustice, in line with the maxim Qui tacet, consentire videtur (Silence gives consent).

    Instead, the Church should present herself as compassionate and courageous in standing with the those living in fear.

    African bishops especially ought to speak out, as loudly as they do on same-sex marriage, against the discriminatory legislation and violence directed at homosexuals, many of whom are fellow Catholics.

    Where is the prophetic voice of the Church in condemning the general homophobia in society?

    It would require a very peculiar reading of the Gospel to locate Jesus anywhere else but at the side of the marginalised and vulnerable. The Church must be seen to be standing with Jesus and those who face unjust persecution, even if — especially if — it does not condone the lifestyles of those at risk.

    That would be true Christian witness.

    Full Story: Africa’s anti-gay laws 

    Source: The Southern Cross

Obama Condemns Uganda’s Tough Antigay Measure.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — President Obama on Sunday condemned a measure to criminalize homosexuality in Uganda, publicly warning the country’s president that such discrimination could harm its relationship with the United States.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda signaled on Friday that he was likely to sign a bill that would punish the “the promotion or recognition” of same-sex relations with as much as life in prison.

 

“As we have conveyed to President Museveni, enacting this legislation will complicate our valued relationship with Uganda,” Mr. Obama said in his statement.

The bill, Mr. Obama added, “will be more than an affront and a danger to the gay community in Uganda.”

“It will be a step backward for all Ugandans and reflect poorly on Uganda’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people,” the president said.


RELATED COVERAGE
    document
    Document: Obama on Uganda’s Antigay BillFEB. 16, 2014
    President Yoweri Museveni delayed signing a version of the bill last year, saying it was flawed.

    Ugandan President Says He Will Sign Tough Antigay MeasureFEB. 15, 2014

 

Mr. Obama’s statement came as he was golfing at a private course in Rancho Mirage, near the Sunnylands estate in California where he was spending the weekend.

Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, who accompanied the president on his trip, announced that she had spoken “at length” with Mr. Museveni on Saturday evening to discourage him from signing the bill.

In a series of posts on Twitter Sunday morning, Ms. Rice said she “told him it will be a huge step backward for Uganda and the world.”

 

Under the proposed law, a first conviction could result in a 14-year prison sentence, and subsequent convictions of “aggravated homosexuality” could lead to a life term.

The bill passed by the Ugandan Parliament in December is a modified version of a 2009 proposal that included death sentences. It was withdrawn after an international outcry.

Mr. Obama’s statement did not limit criticism to Uganda, noting, “Tragically, we are seeing an increase in reports of violence and harassment targeting members of the LGBT community from Russia to Nigeria.”

Last month, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was “deeply concerned” about Nigeria’s new anti-gay law. That measure would impose harsh penalties not only for people convicted of having same-sex relationships, but also for those participating in gay clubs and organizations.

 

Mr. Obama sent a delegation of prominent gay athletes, including the tennis champion Billie Jean King, to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, seen as a response to Russia’s ban on gay “propaganda.”
Obama on Uganda’s Antigay Bill

Malawi: Joyce Banda Forms Education Committee.

President-Banda

Blantyre — As one way of showing commitment towards the protection of a girl child in the country President Dr Joyce Banda has established a Special Committee on the Acceleration of Girls Education in Malawi.

The President disclosed this on Thursday at Sanjika Palace during an audience with High Level Task Force for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV for Eastern and Southern Africa saying this committee will look at how to overcome traditional barriers to girls' education, such as early marriages and pregnancies.

The Head of State then called upon relevant authorities to hold the necessary consultations and lobbying to ensure that the country attain the right to support for the age of marriage in Malawi to be raised to at least 18 years for both boys and girls to give them time to acquire enough education before marriage.

"There is no question about my personal commitment to the raising of the marriage age. I am however aware that this is a delicate issue among some traditional leaders, conservative communities, faith leaders and some legislators.

"That is why, in my opinion, it is best that we do our homework by engaging all stakeholders and bring the bill to parliament at the right time for us to succeed," said the President Banda.

The president highlighted that there is so much that the country can achieve through working with traditional leaders who are guardians of traditional culture. She said the T/A's ability to mobilise support within their communities will be crucial in promoting and protecting girl child at a local level.

The president said she was very pleased to learn that some chiefs have already started taking big strides in promoting the girl child through the creation of a Declaration of Commitment to be signed by Paramount and Senior Chiefs.

"This declaration focuses on issues of the girl child in a holistic way, looking at education, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, early marriages, and HIV, while also taking advantage of the positive aspects of our culture and cultural ceremonies to support these efforts," delighted the head of state.

In her remarks leader of the High Level Task Force for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV for Eastern and Southern delegation, Professor Sheila Tlou who is UNAIDS Regional Director commended President Dr Joyce Banda for her efforts in improving the welfare of the girl child education and her continued support to girls' education.

She however requested for the formation of a high level committee which will oversee the enactment of the marriage bill so that more girls should be able to complete their education before marriage.

BY YAMIKANI YAPUWA

1 NOVEMBER 2013

http://allafrica.com/stories/201311030198.html

 

For Millions of Adolescents, Pregnancy Can Be Dangerous.

 

 

 

 

GENEVA — A new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)finds millions of adolescent girls suffer serious long-term health and social consequences from pregnancy.  Globally, the U.N. agency estimates 7.3 million girls under 18-years-old give birth, including two million girls younger than 14.
Giving birth to a baby should be a happy moment in the life of a woman.  But, for millions of adolescents around the world, early pregnancy and childbirth results in serious health problems, social exclusion and even death.

In developing countries, 20,000 girls under 18 give birth every day, the report says.  It estimates some 70,000 adolescents in developing countries die each year from complications during pregnancy and childbirth.  Among those who survive, many will develop an obstetric fistula. This is a hole in the birth canal, which leaves the girl leaking urine constantly.

The director of the UNFPA office in Geneva, Alanna Armitage, says adolescent girls are at increased risk of child marriage and sexual coercion.  Maternal death among girls under the age of 15 from low- and middle-income countries is twice that of older females,” says Armitage.

“Our report shows that nine out of 10 pregnancies to girls under 18 take place within a marriage. And, as you may know, every day, 39,000 girls are married in violation of their basic human rights.  One in nine is married before the age of 15 and this, of course, will continue as long as families, communities and governments tolerate child marriage,” she said.

The report highlights the economic impact of adolescent pregnancy.  It notes the lifetime opportunity costs related to adolescent pregnancy range from one percent of annual GDP in China to 30 percent of annual GDP in Uganda.

To drive this point home, the report notes $3.4 billion could have been added to the Kenyan economy had the more than 200,000 adolescent mothers in the country been employed rather than pregnant.

The report finds in every region of the world, impoverished, poorly educated rural girls are more likely to become pregnant than those who live in richer, more urban areas.  UNFPA Senior Maternal Health Advisor Luc de Bernis says the highest rates of adolescent maternal mortality are found in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

He says the problem is marginally greater in the Francophone than the English-speaking African countries.

“Africa is not homogeneous and we have many differences, but the fact is young girls are not protected in the majority of these countries — not in the Francophone for sure…and not in the English speaking world,” said Bernis. “In Kenya, Uganda, you have a rate of abortion which is absolutely enormous and it explains a big part of the maternal mortality.  A big number of these abortions occur among very young girls.”

The report says adolescent pregnancy is a much bigger challenge in the developing world than in developed countries.  But it finds that adolescent pregnancy is still a significant issue in the richer nations.

It says blaming a young girl for getting pregnant is counter-productive.  Instead of changing the girl’s behavior, the report says, society should change its attitudes and actions.

Among the recommendations for reducing adolescent pregnancy with its related risks, the report suggests keeping girls in school, stopping child marriage, and providing adolescents with access to sexual and reproductive health, including contraception.

By Lisa Schlein

30 October 2013

http://www.voanews.com/content/pregnancy-dangerous-for-millions-of-adolescents/1780067.html

HIV and Sexuality Education: Time to Act Now with Young People in Eastern and southern Africa

UNESCO and partners launch new regional report showing serious challenges facing adolescents and young people in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The report brings together a wide range of data on education, HIV, sexual health and gender equality to paint a more detailed picture of the day-to-day realities of adolescents and young people living in 21 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. The findings show that, despite important gains made in reducing the transmission and impact of HIV, there is still a long way to go. Every hour, 50 young people in this region become infected with HIV yet less than 40% of young people have adequate HIV knowledge. Unintended and adolescent pregnancy is a major issue affecting girls and young women with approximately one in five girls aged 17 having already had a child. Gender inequality is still widespread, and girls between the ages of 20 – 24 are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence.

The recommendations in the report are clear: adolescents and young people deserve better, and they need both the education and health sectors to work together and commit to taking bold action. Such bold action includes reviewing, and where necessary amending, policies or laws that that limit access to the education and health services that adolescents and young people need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Furthermore, countries need to deliver good quality, age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education that starts at primary school and continues through secondary school. Youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services must be made widely available including commodities that will help prevent HIV and pregnancy, including condoms. Many countries provide some level of HIV or life skills education, but this is rarely comprehensive, or provided at an appropriate age. As one young woman quoted in the report says “Sexuality is not about sex. It is about your body, and what happens as you grow.” The report also concludes that gender equality must be prioritised in the delivery of education and health services to ensure that both boys and girls can achieve their full potential.

The report will be launched on 4 October 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa by representatives of many of the collaborating partners including UNESCO, UNFPA, WHO and UNAIDS. The authors present a vision for the future of a young African, a global citizen of the future, who is healthy, resilient and socially responsible, who is an autonomous decision-maker with the capacity to reach his or her full potential and contribute to the development of their community, country and the region.

Prof. Sheila Tlou, Director, UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa and chairperson of the High Level Group providing leadership for the Young People Today initiative said, “As we approach 2015, it is time for urgent action by our governments, young people and civil society to re-affirm the rights of young people to a better future. We have a duty to make good quality HIV and sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services a reality for all.”

With the mobilization and advocacy efforts of UN partners, NGOs and young people, as well as political commitment from leaders, there is a shared sense of hope that the 21 countries in this region heavily affected by HIV can turn this vision into reality in the coming years.

3 October 2013

Unesco Education Sector

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/young_people_today_time_to_act_now/back/9597/#.UlaTYOJ2Fwh

Women’s health communities critical to reducing maternal and child mortality in Africa.

Obstetricians and gynecologists, ministers, public health specialists and civil society organizations convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2-5 October at the First International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Africa Regional Conference to discuss ways of improving maternal and child health in Africa.

Speaking at the opening, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme, Luiz Loures highlighted the link between HIV and maternal and child health. He called for women’s health and HIV communities to closely work together to increase access to life-saving health services to reach the most marginalized in society.  He also stressed the need to uphold the sexual and reproductive rights of women living with HIV.

In sub-Saharan Africa, women are more likely to be living with HIV than men, accounting for 58% of the 22.1 million adults who were living with HIV in the region in 2012. Young women are particularly at risk of HIV infection–– around 28% of all new adult HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among young women between the ages of 15-24. HIV is also a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age and has a major impact on child health and mortality, mainly through the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Dr Loures congratulated FIGO on its visionary and bold work on women’s sexual and reproductive rights. He also underscored UNAIDS commitment to strengthening its collaboration with FIGO to raise political visibility and engage women’s networks on HIV and sexual and reproductive rights issues to reduce AIDS related maternal and child mortality.

Quotable

Human rights must be at the centre of our practice as everyone has a right to live. Our primary commitment as physicians is to save lives.

Luiz Loures, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Programme

FIGO looks forward to active collaboration with UNAIDS to ensure the protection of the rights of women living with HIV regarding access to their services in the health sector.

Professor Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, FIGO President

Ethiopia has made excellent progress towards achieving the millennium development goals on maternal and child health and we are grateful for the assistance from our partners, such as FIGO and UNAIDS.

Dr Amir Amare, State Minister at the Federal Ministry of Health – Ethiopia

CCMs Will Be Required to Meet New Minimum Standards Starting in 2015.

Wording of one of the existing six minimum requirements has been altered
CCMs will be required to undertake annual self-assessments

The Global Fund has adopted new minimum standards for country coordinating mechanisms (CCMs). The Fund has also modified the wording of one of the six CCM minimum requirements, and has designed a CCM Performance Assessment Tool which CCMs will be required to use annually.

Currently, CCMs must meet the six minimum requirements to be eligible to receive funding for programmes to fight HIV, TB and malaria and to strengthen health systems. As of 1 January 2015, CCMs will also be required to meet the new minimum standards to receive such funding.

Each minimum standard is attached to one of the existing minimum requirements. Thus, in future, for those minimum requirements that have minimum standards attached, determining compliance with both the minimum requirements and the minimum standards will be done at the same time.

Starting in 2014, CCMs will be required to conduct a self-assessment annually using the CCM Eligibility and Performance Assessment Tool. (CCMs can start this process now if they choose to.) The purpose of the self-assessments is to allow the CCM to determine not only if it is compliant with the minimum requirements and minimum standards, but also how well the CCM is functioning. The Global Fund Secretariat says that the self-assessment exercise will produce a “complete diagnostic” of the CCM.

The Global Fund Secretariat is planning to revise the existing CCM Guidelines to reflect the new minimum standards and related changes. Revisions to the CCM Guidelines will likely have to be approved by the Board.

Change to one minimum requirement

The wording of Requirement 4 has been modified to include key affected populations and to add a reference to human rights and gender.

The old wording of Requirement 4 was as follows:

“The Global Fund requires all CCMs to show evidence of membership of people living with HIV and of people affected by TB or malaria (where funding is requested or has previously been approved for the respective disease). People affected by TB or malaria include people who have lived with these diseases in the past or who come from communities where the diseases are endemic.”

For the new wording of Requirement 4, see the table in the next section.

New minimum standards

One of the most significant new minimum standards is the requirement that the number of voting CCM members with a conflict of interest (COI) not exceed one per constituency. (This is related to Minimum Requirement 6 which is about COI.) The minimum standards do not define “constituency.” The Global Fund Secretariat told GFO that NGOs and faith-based organisations are two examples of constituencies in the civil society sector.

Another important minimum standard is the requirement that 40% of the CCM membership be drawn from the national civil society sector. The existing CCM Guidelines recommend that at least 40% of CCM membership be from non-government constituencies.

The new minimum standards also require that the CCM have balanced representation from men and women.

The complete list of new minimum standards is shown in the table below, along with the minimum requirements to which they relate. There are no minimum standards for Requirements 1 and 2.

Table: CCM Minimum requirements and minimum standards adopted by the Global Fund

Minimum requirement and related minimum standards
Minimum requirement #1:
The Global Fund requires all CCMs to: (i) Coordinate the development of all funding applications through transparent and documented processes that engage a broad range of stakeholders – including CCM members and non-members – in the solicitation and the review of activities to be included in the application. (ii) Clearly document efforts to engage key population groups in the development of funding applications, including most-at-risk populations.
Related minimum standards: None.
Minimum requirement #2:
The Global Fund therefore requires all CCMs to: (i) Nominate one or more PR(s) at the time of submission of their application for funding. (ii) Document a transparent process for the nomination of all new and continuing PRs based on clearly defined and objective criteria. (iii) Document the management of any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the PR nomination process.
Related minimum standards: None.
Minimum requirement #3:
Recognizing the importance of oversight, the Global Fund requires all CCMs to submit and follow an oversight plan for all financing approved by the Global Fund. The plan must detail oversight activities, and must describe how the CCM will engage program stakeholders in oversight, including CCM members and non-members, and in particular non-government constituencies and people living with and/or affected by the diseases.
Related minimum standards:
  • The oversight body conducts oversight activities to discuss challenges with each PR and identifies problems, potential reprogramming and corresponding reallocation of funds between program activities, if necessary.
  • The CCM takes decisions and corrective action whenever problems and challenges are identified.
  • The CCM shares oversight results with the Global Fund Secretariat and in-country stakeholders quarterly through he process defined in its Oversight Plan.
Minimum requirement #4:
“The Global Fund requires all CCMs to show evidence of membership of people that are both living with and representing people living with HIV, and of people affected* by and representing people affected by Tuberculosis ** and Malaria*** as well as people from and representing Key Affected Populations****, based on epidemiological as well as human rights and gender considerations.
* Either people who have lived with these diseases in the past or who come from communities where the diseases are endemic
** In countries where Tuberculosis is a public health problem or funding is requested or has previously been approved for Tuberculosis
*** In countries where there is on-going evidence of Malaria transmission or funding is requested or has previously been approved for Malaria
**** The Secretariat may waive the requirement of representation of Key Affected Populations as it deems appropriate to protect individuals”
Related minimum standard:
  • The CCM has balanced representation of men and women (the Global Fund Gender Equality Strategy clarifies how women and girls are key affected groups in the context of the 3 diseases).
Minimum requirement #5:
The Global Fund requires all CCM members representing non-government constituencies to be selected by their own constituencies based on a documented, transparent process, developed within each constituency. This requirement applies to all non-government members including those members under Requirement 4, but not to multilateral and bilateral partners.
Related minimum standards:
  • CCM membership comprises a minimum of 40% representation from national civil society sectors.
  • CCM has clearly defined processes of soliciting inputs from and providing feedback to their constituencies that selected them to represent their interests in the CCM.
  • The CCM elects its Chair and Vice-Chair(s) from different sectors (government, national civil society and development partners ) and also follows good governance principles of periodic change and rotation of leadership according to CCM by-laws.
Minimum requirement #6:
To ensure adequate management of conflict of interest, the Global Fund requires all CCMs to: (i) Develop and publish a policy to manage conflict of interest that applies to all CCM members, across all CCM functions. The policy must state that CCM members will periodically declare conflicts of interest affecting themselves or other CCM members. The policy must state and CCMs must document that members will not take part in decisions where there is an obvious conflict of interest, including decisions related to oversight, and selection or financing PRs or SRs. (ii) Apply their conflict of interest policy throughout the life of Global Fund grants, and present documented evidence of its application to the Global Fund on request.
Related minimum standard:
  • To guarantee effective decision making, the CCM ensures that the number of members in the CCM with CoI does not exceed 1 person per constituency (excluding Ex-Officio Members with no voting rights).

CCM Performance Assessment Tool

The Global Fund Secretariat says that the self-assessment of the CCM using the new CCM Performance Assessment Tool will produce a complete diagnostic that takes into account information from in-country partners. The tool is available (in English) on the Fund’s website here. The Global Fund says that other-language versions of the tool will be posted soon.

The Secretariat requires that CCMs request technical assistance (TA) when they conduct the self-assessments. A partial list of TA providers is available on the Global Fund website here. Additional providers will be added to the list in future. CCMs wishing to use a TA provider not on the list must consult their fund portfolio manager. The plan is that all TA providers working on the self-assessments will have received training on how to conduct them. The Secretariat told GFO that the goal is to ensure a consistent approach to the self-assessments across all CCMs.

According to the Global Fund, the TA provider will work with the CCM to analyse the internal functioning and dynamics of the CCM and conduct interviews with key in-country stakeholders. In the process, the TA provider will produce an improvement plan for each CCM, which will be submitted to the Global Fund Secretariat. The Secretariat will review each self-assessment.

CCMs that are fully compliant will be granted “CCM Eligibility Clearance” for one year from the assessment. This clearance allows the CCM to submit a concept note without having to go through a CCM eligibility screening process for Requirements 3–6. (However, Requirements 1 and 2 will be assessed at the time of concept note submission.

Note: In 2014, CCMs need to be compliant with the six minimum requirements (as is the case now). Starting on 1 January 2015, CCMs will also need to be compliant with the new minimum standards.

The Global Fund says that for CCMs that are non-compliant, TA providers will support the CCM to elaborate a milestone-driven improvement plan. The Global Fund Secretariat must approve the plan. According to the Fund, “non-adherence to the improvement plan will impact current and future funding.”

The CCM Performance Assessment Tool was used by the CCMs participating as early applicants in the transition phase of the new funding model.

Information for this article was taken from the CCM pages of the Global Fund website and from direct communication with the CCM Hub at the Secretariat. GFO plans to write a more detailed article on the CCM Performance Assessment Tool in the near future.

By David Garmaise

5 October 2013

http://www.aidspan.org/node/1923#comment_section

Secure Africa’s Future by Ensuring Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health for All.

African government leaders meet this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to chart a forward-looking agenda building on commitments made at the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994. At that conference, governments placed the human rights and empowerment of women, including their reproductive health and rights, squarely at the center of population policies and sustainable development.

As former president of Mozambique, I join with others in pride for the progress we have achieved. Policies and programs inspired by Cairo have saved and improved millions of lives in Africa. They have been levers for our continent’s increasing dynamism. But more needs to be done to ensure a prosperous tomorrow, one where all our people enjoy their rights, dignity and health. The future of Africa is at stake.

As co-chair of the High-Level Task Force for ICPD, I know that if governments agree to uphold sexual and reproductive rights and health for all, they will also be helping Africa reduce poverty and meet its development objectives, while capitalizing on current economic growth.

In spite of recent progress, grim realities cannot be ignored. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over half of the 800 maternal deaths that occur globally each day. Our region’s rate of unsafe abortion is the highest in the world — over 5 million each year — with 25 percent performed on adolescent girls. More than 45 percent of African women and girls experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. Thirteen million African girls under 18 are married, increasing their risks of early child-bearing, HIV, persistent poverty, and domestic violence. And over 4 million youth in Africa are infected with HIV.

These are preventable problems with cost-effective solutions. Solving them is a matter of political leadership, backed by resources. No country can afford to forgo opportunities to make sexual and reproductive health and rights a reality in the 21st century. These priorities are keys to unleashing the full energies and talents of our people, especially women and young people. They must be pillars of any sound post-2015 global development agenda.

The High-Level Task Force for ICPD calls upon leaders to consider four policy recommendations crucial for Africa’s development transformation:

  1. Enact legal and policy reforms that respect, protect and fulfill sexual and reproductive rights for all. We must repeal legal barriers — including restrictions on access to contraception and safe abortion — that block women and young people from getting the sexual and reproductive services they need. We must reject harmful social norms of control over human sexuality, including those related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Too many of our brothers and sisters face horrific acts of violence and discrimination on this basis. This is not the Africa we want.

    2.  

  2. Accelerate universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health information, education and services. No woman or adolescent girl should die giving birth, or from complications of unsafe abortion, a major killer of our women and girls. This is a grave social injustice: Where abortion is illegal, it is the poorest women and girls who risk their lives.

    3.  

     

  3. Guarantee universal access to comprehensive sexuality education for all young people, both in and out of school. Youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education are keys to empowering Africa’s 300 million young people, preventing early pregnancy, halting the spread of HIV and promoting gender equality. They are also essential, alongside quality education and decent work opportunities, to realizing the full potential of Africa’s demographic window of opportunity.

    4.  

     

  4. End violence against women and girls and impunity for perpetrators. We must focus on prevention, putting a stop to violence against women and girls in the first place. To do this we must engage men and boys from all walks of life. And we must end child marriage and female genital mutilation within a generation. It is also high time that we secure universal access to critical services and access to justice for all victims and survivors of gender-based violence.

 

Leaders gathered in Addis have the opportunity to adopt an agreement to fully meet the needs and rights for all, with the empowerment of women and young people and sexual and reproductive health and rights at the center. This will put us on the right path to bolster the resilience of our people and families, the vibrancy of our communities and the sustainable, inclusive growth of our nations.

Joaquim Chissano is former president of Mozambique and co-chair of the High Level Task Force for ICPD, a group of government, civil society, and private sector leaders working to ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights is central to the global development agenda.

 

by Joaquim Chissano

Former president of Mozambique; co-chair, High-Level Task Force, ICPD

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joaquim-chissano/africa-sexual-reproductive-rights-health_b_4005108.html

Are you in(volved)? Are you in(vited)? Are you in (ICPD)?

Are you in (ICPD)?

On 30th September – 4th October 2013, the African Regional Conference on Population and Development will be held in Addis Ababa to review progress toward the ICPD Programme of Action. This conference will bring together representatives from African government, civil society and youth organisations, and will agree a set of priorities, challenges and emerging issues for the African region.

Are you in(vited)?

From the 24th-25th September, youths from across Africa will come together during the Youth Pre-conference to identify their priorities. This will be followed by the CSO Pre-conference to be held on 26th-27th September (also tasked with identification of priorities). These combined recommendations will be presented before the experts prior to the Ministerial meeting from 30th– 4th September, 2013.

Are you in(formed)?

In response to the ICPD Programme of Action (PoA), the African Union Commission (AUC), AAI and the African Population Commission (APC) worked together to develop the African Common Position on ICPD by means of Regional Consultative Meetings which was followed by a second round of E-consultations. This generated recommendations from over 70 African experts in line with key themes within the document. On completion and adoption of all these recommendations, 342 civil society organizations signed the CSO African Common Position endorsing it as a document that represents their needs going into the Sept conference and ICPD Review process.

The CSO ACP was submitted to H.E. Dr. Mustapha S. Kaloko, the Commissioner of Social Affairs at the AUC on 5 June, 2013. The CSO African Common Position on ICPD is expected to inform the youth, CSO pre-conference documents and the experts meeting. We are currently lobbying those who will be in the experts’ room, and ensuring ministers of health receive a copy of the CSO African Common Position on ICPD prior to the conference. In addition, we continue circulating the CSO African Common Position through all our social media platforms.

Are you in(volved)?

Read more on the African Common Position on ICPD, as this document contains a set of recommendations aimed at the African Union Commission and Africa’s national governments so as to address population and development issues on the African Continent in the ICPD+20 review process. This will ensure your meaningful participation at the Regional Conference on Population and Development as we advocate for key priorities for Africa. We further ask you to be involved by lobbying your contacts too for inclusion of contents of the CSO African Common Position and vote at the Regional Conference on Population and Development. Lastly, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for continued updates.

To make it easier for you, AAI has distilled the full Civil Society African Common Position on ICPD into a 2 page Key Messages in Brief document

The African Common Position is also available in Portuguese, French and Arabic:

Agora disponivel em portugues

Maintenant disponible en francais

الآن باللغة العربية

We sincerely hope that you will find the above information useful as we prepare for the Regional Conference on Population and Development.

Best regards,

The AAI Team